Saint of the day: San Salvatore di Horta

San Salvatore di Horta: the reputation of holiness has some drawbacks. Public recognition can sometimes be a nuisance, as Salvatore's brethren have discovered.

Salvatore was born during the golden age of Spain. Art, politics and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540. Salvator's parents were poor. At the age of 21 he entered as a brother among the Franciscans and soon became known for his asceticism, humility and simplicity. As a cook, porter and later official beggar of the friars of Tortosa, he became famous for his charity. He healed the sick with the sign of the cross.

Salvatore di Horta was born during the golden age of Spain

When a crowd of sick people began to come to the convent to see Salvatore, the friars transferred him to Horta. Again, the sick flocked to ask for his intercession; one person estimated that 2.000 people visited each week Savior. He told them to examine their consciences, to confess and to receive Holy Communion worthily. He refused to pray for those who would not receive those sacraments.

Attention public given to Salvatore was relentless. The crowd sometimes tore pieces of his robe as relics. Two years before his death, Salvator was again transferred, this time to Cagliari, Sardinia. He died in Cagliari saying: “Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit”. He was canonized in 1938.

Reflection: Medical science is now seeing more clearly the relationship of some diseases to one's emotional and spiritual life. In Healing Life's Hurts, Matthew and Dennis Linn report that sometimes people only feel relief from illness when they have decided to forgive others. Salvator prayed that people could be healed, and many were. Certainly not all diseases can be treated in this way; medical care should not be abandoned. But note that Salvator urged his signatories to re-establish their priorities in life before asking for healing. On March 18, the liturgical feast of San Salvatore di Horta is celebrated.